David Signer, a Swiss anthropologist, wrote an article on Taiwan
that was translated from German into
Dutch, English, and
Mandarin. He’s a bit off on the facts and light on analysis,
but I enjoyed the article anyway because I both see and take part
in the irony he describes:

Over 30% of the people work more than 62 hours a week. Taiwan’s
population is less dense than only Bangladesh. Although Taiwan is
smaller then Switzerland it belongs to the 20 most successful
industrial countries: Taiwan leads the laptop market, has the third
largest foreign reserve in the world, and has the most mobile
phones (1.14) per capita. However, only three countries have less
sex then the Taiwanese, and the French magazine “Elle” names
Taiwanese women as the unhappiest women in the world. Taiwan has
also the most near-sighted people. …

In Taipei I visit a surgeon at his home. His 6-year-old daughter
is taught English at school, but she has extra classes English in
the evenings besides painting, dance and piano lessons. With
proudness she plays classic piano parts without music paper. In
August the whole family goes to the USA to improve her English even
more at a summer camp. I ask the father if he is not afraid that
the pressure on the kids might be too high. From Japan more and
more stories are heard of children who commit suicide because of
the shame of failing an exam. “Yes, sometimes all the effort is for
nothing,” says the surgeon. “Sometimes the musical wonder kids play
virtuously when they are 14, but when they become 25 the difference
fades between the kids who started only at the age of 10”. …

A Swiss woman who lived in Taiwan and China for a long time
says: “the only thing that counts for these people is food and
making money. Love and sex are not important. If somebody says ‘I
love you’, then it means nothing, but if he gives you a big piece
of his meat then you know you are important for him.”

(The English translation is a bit incomplete. I’ve revised both
translations slightly above.)